The controversial kissing scene between Rekha and Biswajeet from the 1969 film Anjana Safar has returned to the spotlight after Biswajeet’s daughter, actress Pallavi Chatterjee, admitted in a recent interview that what happened to Rekha was “definitely wrong.” Now, senior film journalist Jyothi Venkatesh also revisited the incident, recalling what he had heard about the shoot.
‘Director ne controversy plan ki thi’
Speaking to Hindi Rush, he recalled, “Ek ghatna to aapne zaroor padhi hogi—Biswajeet aur Rekha ka kissing scene. Us waqt Rekha nayi-nayi Chennai se aayi thi… film ka naam Anjana Safar tha.” (You must have read about the Biswajeet-Rekha kissing scene. Rekha had just arrived from Chennai and the film was called Anjana Safar. )Jyothi further claimed, “Maine suna ki director ne jaanbujhkar controversy khadi karne ki yojana banayi thi. Shooting shuru hone se pehle Biswajeet ke kaan mein jaakar kaha, ‘Is ladki ko lip-to-lip kiss karna.'” (I had heard that the director deliberately planned the controversy. Before the shoot, he whispered to Biswajeet, ‘Kiss this girl on the lips.’ )He added, “Biswajeet ne poocha, ‘Gaal par kiss karun?’ Lekin director ne kaha, ‘Nahin, yeh scene ka hissa hai. Lip-to-lip kiss karna.'” (Biswajeet asked if he should kiss her on the cheek, but the director insisted it had to be a lip-to-lip kiss as part of the scene. )According to Jyothi, “Iske baad Biswajeet ne waisa hi kiya aur Rekha phoot-phoot kar rone lagi. Us din ki shooting cancel ho gayi thi. Halaanki woh kissing shot pehle hi filmaya ja chuka tha aur baad mein film mein istemaal bhi hua.” (After Biswajeet did as instructed, Rekha broke down in tears. The shoot was cancelled for the day, but the kissing shot had already been filmed and was later retained in the film. )
Pallavi Chatterjee calls the incident ‘definitely wrong’
The incident resurfaced after Pallavi Chatterjee chose not to defend her father and instead acknowledged that the episode was wrong. She said Biswajeet should have either refused to perform the scene or ensured Rekha’s consent was obtained beforehand. Pallavi also noted that Rekha was just a teenager and was completely unprepared for the kiss, making the experience deeply shocking and traumatic.Pallavi further revealed that the two families shared a close bond at the time, with Rekha often visiting their home during childhood. According to her, that personal relationship may have made the incident even more painful for the young actress, as it involved someone she knew and trusted.The kissing scene from Anjana Safar, which was later released as Do Shikaari, has remained one of the most debated episodes in Bollywood history. According to several accounts of the incident, the camera continued rolling for nearly five minutes as Biswajeet kept kissing Rekha, who had allegedly not been informed about the scene beforehand. Rekha later said she felt betrayed and exploited by the experience, while Biswajeet maintained over the years that he was merely following director Raja Nawathe’s instructions.